Description Found abundantly near the edge of continental and insular shelves, but also in the open sea and occasionally inshore. Recorded temperatures where it occurs range from 23-24°C. It is quick-moving and aggressive. Associated with schools of tuna. Primarily feeds on fishes, but also cephalopods, and even crabs. Used in many ways with its meat eaten fresh and dried-salted; its hide for leather; its fin for shark-fin soup; its liver oil as a rich source of vitamin A. [details]

Distribution Circumtropical. Western Atlantic: Massachusetts, USA to southern Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean [details]